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He held out his hand, and she put her hand in his. They headed to the ramp, and he led her out and into the humid air and bright sun.
She saw a line of women, young and old, putting flowers around the necks of the men who had walked off the airship ahead of them.
He walked her out, and she was immediately the centre of attention. The heat wrapped around her like a warm fist, and when the ladies approached them and tossed some flowers over Koa’s bent head, Kana smiled.
He got a lot of flowers, and the ladies were patting his arms and shoulders. A child tugged at Kana’s hand and held up the garland. Taking a hint from the men, she bent low, and the little girl gave her the aromatic necklace.
“Thank you.”
The girl giggled, clutched her hands together, and swayed. “I thought you would be cold, but your hand is warm.”
“Oh, because of the colour.”
The little girl in the flowered dress nodded. A young woman walked up to Kana and said, “Welcome to the island.”
A brilliant blue and black wreath of flowers was held up, and when Kana bent her head, it turned out to be a crown.
The ladies who were hovering around Koa paused and looked at the young woman who was smiling as she stepped back and said, “The queen was right. It suits you.”
The ladies paused, and the young woman said, “Come on, she is eager to meet you.”
The little girl took her right hand, and the younger woman took her left. They led her past the folk celebrating their homecoming and down a path toward a large structure with a roof made of some kind of leaves or grasses.
“Queen Keonelani has been looking forward to your arrival. She’s been worried about the rumbles in the ground beneath her feet.”
“Oh. All right. Who are you?”
The little girl chirped up, “That is my sister, Aiona, and I am Kalei. We work for Her Majesty.”
“I am Kana. I work for... my dragon, I guess.”
Kalei got excited. “You have a dragon?”
“Yes. She talks to me, but she hasn’t emerged yet.”
“Oh.”
“But I have access to her power.”
“Oh!” Kalei skipped, tugging them ahead.
There were torches being lit along the way, and the younger ones got her to the largest building. An older woman was sitting in a wide chair with a high back. Guards in festive wraps were on either side. They looked pretty and a bit shiny.
Aiona bowed low, as did Kalei. Kana inclined her head, and the woman smiled. “You have made it to our islands. It is a relief. Where are the others?”
Kana smiled. “There were many garlands to disperse, so they are with the crowd near the airship.”
“Come closer. I need to see you.”
Kana let go of her escorts’ hands and walked toward the woman. The woman smiled, and her mahogany skin wrinkled with a fine fanning of creases. “Aren’t you just adorable but so pale. What is your name?”
“Kana Pyrar Lem.”
The queen stroked her cheek, and Kana felt a pressure against the containment of her dragon. “Oh, she is very close. Good. We rarely see a dragon of this kind of power out here. The population is only ten percent shifter of any variety and less than one percent mage. The rest are well-cared-for humans who live here and thrive.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. When do I start my work?” She looked into the beautiful golden green eyes and felt the pressure of the dragon there. No wonder she was queen.
“Tomorrow morning. Tonight, we are celebrating the safe return of half the eligible men on the island.” She chuckled.
